Method and apparatus for message flooding within a communication system

• US 20040100957A1
• Filed: 11/26/2002
• Published: 05/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Huang, Jian, Perkins, Matthew R., Huang, Yan
• Granted Patent: US 7,355,991 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/390
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/32 Flooding denial of service attacks H04L63/1458

Abstract

A method and apparatus for message flooding is provided that takes advantage of the availability of node locations. The transmission of a flood message by a node is based on location information of neighboring nodes. In particular, each node within the communication system will delay retransmission of flood messages by a predetermined amount of time. If, during this delay, a node hears the flood message from a neighboring node (home flooding) or another node (neighborhood flooding), it then cancels transmission of the flood message.

Claims

1. A method for message flooding within a communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by a remote unit, a message that potentially needs to be rebroadcast; and

determining a delay time for broadcasting the message, wherein the delay time is based on a coverage area of the remote unit.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

broadcasting the message after expiration of the delay time.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

determining that the message has been broadcast by a neighbor remote unit; and

failing to broadcast the message based on the determination that the message has been broadcast by the neighbor remote unit.

4. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving by a receiving node (B), a message transmitted from a transmitting node (A);

calculating a delay time for broadcasting the message, wherein the delay time is based on a coverage area of the receiving node;

determining if the message has been broadcast by another node; and

broadcasting the message after the delay time if the message has not been broadcast by another node.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of determining if the message has been broadcast by another node and broadcasting the message after the delay time if the message has not been broadcast by another node comprises the steps of:

determining if the message has been broadcast by a neighboring node; and

broadcasting the message after the delay time if the message has not been broadcast by the neighboring node.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of calculating the delay time comprises the step of calculating a delay time inversely proportional to a first area under a neighbor coordinator (N) that the remote unit can broadcast to, excluding a second area under both a home (M) and the neighbor coordinator that the remote unit can broadcast to.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of calculating the delay time comprises the step of calculating a delay time inversely proportional to Area (N∩

A)−

Area (N∩

A∩

M).

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of calculating the delay time comprises the step of calculating a delay time inversely proportional to a first area under a coordinator (M) that the receiving node can broadcast to, excluding a second area under the coordinator that the transmitting node can broadcast to.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of calculating a delay time comprises the step of calculating a delay time inversely proportional to Area (M∩

B)−

Area (M∩

B∩

A).

10. An apparatus for message flooding within a communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a receiver having as an input, a message that potentially needs to be broadcast, wherein the message was transmitted by a transmitting node;

logic circuitry determining a delay time for broadcasting the message, wherein the delay time is based on a coverage area; and

a transmitter outputting the message after the delay time has expired.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the delay time is inversely proportional to Area (M∩

B)−

Area (M∩

B∩

A), wherein M is a coordinator, B is a receiving node, and A is a transmitting node.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the delay time is inversely proportional to Area (N∩

A)−

Area (N∩

A∩

M), wherein M is a coordinator, N is a second coordinator, and A is a remote unit.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the transmitter outputs the message after the delay time has expired only if the message has not been broadcast by another node.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the transmitter outputs the message after the delay time has expired only if the message has not been broadcast by a neighboring node.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the delay time is inversely proportional to a first area under a coordinator (M) that the receiving node can broadcast to, excluding a second area under the coordinator that the transmitting node can broadcast to.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the delay time is inversely proportional to a first area under a neighbor coordinator that the remote unit can broadcast to, excluding a second area under both a home and the neighbor coordinator that the remote unit can broadcast to.